Lydia Mordkovitch, Raphael Wallfisch, Neeme Järvi - Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1, Brahms: Double Concerto (1989)

Perhaps I am too much a fan of Mordkovitch to be an unbiased reviewer... She and Wallfisch are taking their duos slower than Oistrakh and Fournier, than Stern and Rose and even than Szeryng and Starker. This gives this very much a feeling of a concerto, less feeling of a symphony with obligati violin and cello. With slow tempos, there is a risk of the structure falling apart. But I think so much beauty is won here, that I'm willing to sacrifice some structure; on an emotional level I find the result more moving, not less. By some of the more concentrated performances, i.e. not this one, I often feel that the music isn't allowed to breathe as it should. Here everything breathes and yet the whole thing is kept enthusiatically moving forward. So this is currently my favourite performance of the double concerto, and I think it will remain so. It's not a bad thing that the sound quality is the very best, either. If somebody knowing all the performances of this work claimed this one to be the best, I wouldn't be surprised.
When it comes to the Bruch concerto, my first choise is Heifetz. Mordkovitch are taking it more slowly, but yes, more beautifully too. Mordkovitch is the closest I come to a favourite violinist of mine, the sheer sound of her violin is very appealing to me. Jarvi speeds up when he has a chance to do so. Yes, I enjoy this performance, but it cannot replace the well-structured Heifetz.